Episode 200 (Manga)
Synopsis A small golem grabs Isidro from behind, making the boy panic and kick it to the ground. The golem shatters completely, but it is soon able to reform itself. Guts aims a swing at his own golem's neck, slicing its head off. After a few moments, it grows back, leaving the golem none the worse for wear. Unbeknownst to the group, the young witch and her elf companion are watching from one of the mansion's balconies. The witch thinks to herself that since the golems are effectively immortal, the group will eventually tire themselves out or flee for their lives. Still, the witch cannot help but notice that the group seems used to fighting inhuman opponents. What's more, the group should never have been able to pass through the invisible barrier which blocks normal people's access into her domain. The witch suspects that the group's being able to do so stems from either Guts and Casca's odd state of existence or the reappearance of Griffith into the mortal plane. The group continues to ward off the golems. At some point, a small golem shatters on the ground before Casca, who drops to her knees to inspect it. She grabs a small piece of the golem's corpse and lifts it close to her face; Serpico notices that Casca is holding what appears to be a miniscule version of the shattered golem at her feet. Even though Casca has been holding it for a relatively long amount of time, the golem does not regenerate to its original size. Serpico informs the group that each golem has its own "core", which cannot be regenerated. The group aims for the symbols on their opponents' chests, under which the cores reside. With this new information, Guts and his group easily beat many of the golems. Trying to come up with a new plan of defense, the witch's thoughts are interrupted by someone in the mansion's. The second person orders the witch to cease all attacks. The golems suddenly stop all around the group. After a few moments, they all notice the young witch on the mansion's balcony, having moved to a more exposed area to make her presence known to them. After a moment of silence, Morgan pleads for the witch to listen to his plight. She doesn't respond to him directly, but instead invites the entire group to enter the mansion to meet her mistress. Isidro is the first to enter, but the rest of the group is apprehensive. It is only at Guts' urging do they all decide to join Isidro inside it. The group enters the mansion together, where they all notice strange apparatuses and plants covering the walls and tables around the room. The young witch formally greets the group: she introduces herself as Schierke, currently the apprentice of a much more experienced witch. Her elf companion introduces herself as Ivalera. Isidro begins to tease the girl for having hypnotized him into believing he was a monkey, but she exclaims that she only did so because he groped her. Isidro continues to antagonize her until Guts asks him to stop and then turns his attention to the young witch. He asks to be taken to her mistress. Schierke leads the group into a room with a large window on one wall, letting the sunshine pour in. Sitting in a chair near the window is an old and kindly-looking woman, who greets the group warmly. She introduces herself as Flora, Schierke's mistress. Morgan suddenly becomes nervous and asks Flora if she remembers him from long ago. Flora does, and she feels a strong sense of nostalgia wash over her. Flora then turns to Farnese, who appears troubled. As though reading her mind, Flora tells Farnese she needn't be afraid of her; the people Farnese had burned during her tenure as the leader of the Holy Iron Chain Knights were not really witches, so Flora sees no point in harboring any ill will towards her. Flora finally turns her attention to Guts and Casca. She addresses them as the "Branded pair" and announces that she has been waiting for them. Characters in Order of Appearance * Isidro * Guts * Serpico * Puck * Casca * Farnese * Puck * Schierke * Ivalera * Morgan * Flora * Griffith (flashback)